Main Hospital

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Main Hospital Procedure

Day of Surgery Check-In

Check-in will be on 1B and is located on the main floor of the hospital, behind the main lobby. Parking for this is outside of the main hospital in lots 8 and 9.

Valet parking is available from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. If you drive up to the front of the hospital, the valet will assist you during these hours. There is no charge for this service.

You’ll be called back by the admitting nurses after you have registered at the desk. They will ask you to put on a gown and answer some more important questions regarding your medications, history and the procedure you are having done.

At times, some patients will have blood drawn, receive an EKG, chest X-ray or other testing that anesthesia or your doctor needs prior to your surgery. Once you have been admitted by the nurse on 1C, you are in a holding pattern for surgery staff to come for you and your family.

Your family can escort you down to the pre-anesthesia holding area. In this location, the anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist or both will see you and ask you some more questions pertinent to their role in your case. Two people may accompany you to this area. The rest of your family will be directed to our family waiting area.

The volunteers will ask for their name and contact information should your doctor or surgery staff need to get a hold of them during your procedure. Patient belongings will be placed in bags on 1C and will accompany you to the pre-anesthesia area.

Your family will have an opportunity to put your belongings in lockers in the family waiting area, or they can keep them for you.

Immediately After Surgery

Once your surgery has been completed, the surgeon will come out to the waiting area to discuss the case with your family. It is important to ask your family to let the volunteers in the waiting area know if they need to leave the area for any reason. They communicate to all parties and can let the doctor or nurses taking care of you know where your family has gone.

You will be in the Post-Anesthesia Care/Recovery Unit for several minutes to several hours. The nurses will monitor your vital signs, operative site and breathing immediately after you are out of surgery. Some patients are then transported back up to the 1C area to recover further and are sent home from there. Others will be admitted to the hospital for observation and treatment, and some patients may be discharged from the surgical recovery room.

Your physician will let you know the plan for your type of surgery prior to your surgical date. Some surgeries require the patient to be observed in the hospital for several days while others are considered same-day surgeries and you are allowed to go home. It is generally a good idea to arrange for someone to drive you home and stay with you for the night if you are discharged the same day as your surgery.